Women’s World Cup: Marta sets World Cup Scoring Record, What To Watch For In Second Round Matches On June 11?

The first round of the Women’s World Cup concluded on Tuesday night with Brazil earning a 2-0 victory over South Korea as Marta scored her record-breaking 15th World Cup goal.

Marta, who has been selected as the world’s best player five times, passed Germany’s Brigit Prinz on the scoring ledger when she sent a penalty kick into the lower left corner of the goal.

Brazil controlled the action for most of the game as South Korea was unable to create many scoring opportunities. The Brazilians held a 62%-38% advantage in ball possession and had 14 shots on goal compared to just two by South Korea.

Formingo opened up the scoring for Brazil with a goal in the 33rd minute following a solo break through midfield by Christine. ESPN reported that the 37-year old Formingo became the oldest player to score a goal in World Cup history at the age.

The Brazil- South Korea game wasn’t the only exciting game on the Tuesday’s docket.

Spain and Costa Rica played to a 1-1 draw in the World Cup debut for both countries. Vicky Losada gave Spain a short lived lead by tallying in the 13th minute but Costa Rica knotted things up a minute later with a goal by Raquel Rodriguez Cedeno.

Spain had a 56%-44% advantage in ball possession and limited Costa Rica to two shots on goal. Spain registered seven shots on goal.

France continued its dominance over England with a 1-0 victory in rainy and wet conditions in New Brunswick. Eugenie Le Sommer scored the lone goal with a strike from 25-yards out in the 29th minute.

France controlled the ball most of the game, holding a 58%-42% advantage in time of possession. France limited England to a single shot on goal though they only managed four shots themselves. France has not lost to England since 1974 according to Yahoo Sports.

The day was not without controversy as Mexico and Columbia ended up with a 1-1 draw after Mexico’s Charlyn Corral had her goal in stoppage time waived off due to a foul by teammate Stephany Mayor in the buildup.

Daniela Montoya scored for Columbia while Veronica Perez recorded Mexico’s goal. Neither team mustered much offense as Columbia held a 2-1 advantage on shots on goal.

There were 12 first round games played in the first four days of the tournament. Nine teams earned wins and three games ended in draws. Four of the nine games that didn’t end in a draw have been one goal games while there has been three games decided by four goals or more — Germany’ s 10-0 victory over the Ivory Coast is the most lopsided contest.

There have been a total of 40 goals scored. Three players have recorded a hat trick — Cameroon’s Gaelle Enganamout along with Germany teammates Anja Mittag and Celia Sasik. There were also eight shutouts in the first round.

The rest of the article will look at second round matchups that will take place June 11.

Germany vs. Norway 4 p.m. ET on June 11 in Ottawa
Former World Cup champions Germany and Norway will meet in round two for Group B supremacy. Germany has two titles to their credit (2003 and 2007) while Norway were crowned champions in 1995.

Both teams are coming off easy opening game wins as Germany defeated the Ivory Coast 10-0 and Norway shutout Thailand 4-0. Germany’s victory was the second mosst lopsided win in the event’s history.

Germany is the top-ranked team in FIFA’s rankings and is one of the most complete teams in the world. The Germans have won six straight Euro titles and went 10-0 with a plus 58 goal differential. The backline is Germany’s only weakness according to ESPN’s Julie Foudy.

Germany and Norway are very familiar with each other, German striker Celia Sasic told AFP’s Emmeline Moore. Sasic had three goals versus the Ivory Coast and now has 60 goals in 105 caps.

“We already know Norway very well, as we’ve often faced one another at tournaments in the past. It will be a completely different game. We have to be aggressive against Norway, be robust, compact and come out on top in the challenges.

“We need to create chances and convert them. We certainly won’t get as many chances against Norway as we did against Ivory Coast.

“The team is well equipped. Norway have very experienced players. In attack, such as Ada Hegerberg and Isabell Helovsen for example.”

Norway is ranked No.11 in the world but has not fared very well against Germany. Norway has dropped five of their last seven matches against the Germany. Overall, they are 6-0-9 with a minus 10 goal differential in 15 matches against the Germans.

Isabelle Herlovsen tallied two goals for the Norweigiens against Thailand.

China vs. Netherlands 6 p.m. in Edmonton
The Netherlands are playing in its first WC while China is a very young team (avg. age 23) with no stars.

The Dutch are a dangerous team on the offensive side while China is tough defensively. Vivianne Miedema leads the Dutch, who are a young team with considerable international experience. MF Sherida Spitse and F Manon Melis are two other players to keep an eye on.

The Netherlands need three points against China to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. The Netherlands earned a 1-0 victory over New Zealand on a Lieke Martens’ long strike in the opening game. The Dutch are 3-2-3 in their last eight matches.

China lost a 1-0 hard fought match against Group A favorite Canada. The Chinese are winless in their last six matches.

This will mark the second time the teams have met with the last time being in 2007, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw.

Ivory Coast vs. Thailand 7 p.m. in Ottawa

No. 29 Thailand will face the lowest ranked team in the tournament, the Ivory Coast, which is ranked No. 67. Both teams are making their World Cup debuts and have never faced each other.

The Ivory Coast are a surprise participant in the World Cup, claiming the final of the three spots African teams are allocated. The Ivorians are 1-1-3 in their last five matches and have been outscored 16-5 in those matches. A few players to watch include F Jose Nahi, GK Dominique Thiamale and MF Ida Guehai.

Thailand should win this game. Thailand is 4-0-2 in their last six games. Thailand is led by D Darut Changplook, F Nisa Romyen, and F Taneekarn Dangba.

Canada vs. New Zealand 9 p.m. ET in Edmonton

Canada, which entered the tournament as the favorites in Group A, can secure its spot in the quarterfinals with a victory over New Zealand.

Canada struggled in its opening match against China, earning a 1-0 victory when Christine Sinclair scored on a penalty kick in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half.

Canada, ranked sixth in the world, is 3-0-2 in their last five matches with all five matches having been decided by one goal. Canada possesses a strong defensive side but a weak offense — in their past five games, Canada has totaled three goals and been shutout twice.

The Canadians best finish in World Cup play is fourth (2003) though they earned a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.

New Zealand is a tough, athletic team that has trouble scoring goals. The Kiwis have been shutout in their last four matches, including a 1-0 defeat to Netherlands in the opening game of the WC. New Zealand is 1-4-3 in their last eight games. The Kiwis have surrendered 14 goals and tallied eight goals during that stretch.

Canada is 3-0-1 all-time versus New Zealand. The Canadians have outscored the Kiwis 10-0 in the series.

(photo by Alex Grimm/ Getty Images)